Clinical Staff

Administrative Staff

Administrative Staff

Ms. Holmstrom has over 20 years’ combined experience in administration, with a focus on corporate compliance, process improvement and human resources. She was previously the Vice President of Administration/HR and Corporate Secretary for a large reprographic network association and more recently, for a newly forming commercial airline in Carlsbad. Margie works with the Executive Management Team at PRI to streamline their multi-facility operations and put together strategic plans for its future growth.

Ms. Walker brings nearly a decade of experience in the substance abuse treatment field working in administration, compliance, operations, admissions, and marketing. Ms. Walker’s drive for excellence and her supportive management help our staff provide continuous quality care for our clients. She is passionate about creating a positive space for our clients to rest, to challenge themselves, and to realize their own potential for health, happiness, and personal success.

Prior to joining Practical Recovery’s team in 2013, Ms. Stecher worked with various small businesses in the San Diego area. She is a dedicated worker focused on improving financial performance. Ms. Stecher’s background in accounting and administrative management has allowed her to efficiently assist with the company’s financial records management which resulted in a significant improvement in financial controls.

In her free time Ruta enjoys gardening, sewing and walking her dogs in the parks and beaches. She loves to spend time with her family exploring the beautiful Southern California area.

Consulting Staff

Consulting Staff

Dr. Salguero graduated from the University of Guadalajara Medical School after which he earned a Diploma of Clinical Nutrition at the National Institute of Nutrition and a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology in Medicine, with a focus on personalized medicine and the clinical applications of genetic polymorphisms and epigenetics. Mario completed his Psychiatry Residency at the University of California at San Diego, where he received, the “Best Resident Clinician” award three years in a row and the prestigious “Lewis L. Judd” Research Award for his research in implementing a mindfulness self-compassion intervention for residents. Mario has authored articles and chapters in scientific journals and in textbooks and fostered international collaborations, especially around integrative medicine. A Voluntary Assistant Clinical Professor at the Department of Psychiatry, UCSD School of Medicine, Mario supervises residents in training. In addition, he has a Private Practice with a focus in personalizing the relationship with patients, promoting self-healing and integrating treatments from different healing disciplines as evidence supports.

Dr. Salguero appreciates establishing a balance between work and spending time with his family. Together, they enjoy walks on the beach, riding bikes and playing soccer, and take pleasure in traveling, trying new food and meeting people from different cultures.

Wendy A. Khentigan, M.D., graduated from New York Medical College. She completed her residency in psychiatry at the University of California San Diego where she served as a chief resident during her final year. She is Board Certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. She has been in private practice in Encinitas since 1994, and has a special interest in treating patients with addiction and dual diagnoses. Careful consideration is given to devising a comprehensive, individualized treatment plan including psychotherapy and medication management.

Dr. Galant is a clinical psychologist and holds Masters and Doctoral degrees in Clinical Psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology, and a Bachelors degree from UCLA. In addition, he is a certified hypnotherapist through the American Council of Hypnotist Examiners (ACHE). He has been on staff at UCSD and Kaiser Permanente. His areas of specialty include depression, anxiety, PTSD, addictive behavior, smoking cessation, weight loss, stress management, pain control, phobias, and business/sports/skills enhancement. Specific therapeutic modalities include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT, REBT), Clinical Hypnotherapy, EMDR, and EFT/TFT. California Psychology License PSY18543.

Using the results of the MMPI-2, the world’s most widely used personality test, Dr. Levak is able to understand his clients’ personalities. Rather than employing a “one size fits all” approach, he can build on this accurate framework to understand how they are likely to interact in a relationship and what kinds of problems they will tend to have individually, as a couple and even in the workplace. He is known for his straight forward, practical, non-judgmental approach and has been very successful, even with the most skeptical clients.

Dr. Levak has been a consultant to reality television programs almost from the beginning of that genre, and has worked on Survivor, Big Brother, Amazing Race, Apprentice and others. In this role, he made highly accurate predictions about people’s behavior based on personality assessment and was able to assist the producers in assembling casts that captured America’s interest. He also serves as an expert witness in forensic cases and has a growing practice in organizational consulting, assisting businesses with executive hiring, development and team building.

Ms. Lewis provides Relapse Prevention counseling. She uses cognitive-behavioral techniques to help clients maintain lifestyle balance, and identify high risk situations and alternative methods for coping with them. She also provides life coaching, and is certified as a coach practitioner by the Certified Coaches Federation.

Before entering the counseling profession Linda was a Certified Property Manager and President of a real estate management company. Along the way she also overcame her own addiction problems. In 1997 she changed careers, to help others benefit from the insights gained from her own painful background. In 2000 she also co-founded the Bobby Jo Lewis Foundation, named for her 17 year old sister, who along with their mother was killed in a domestic violence incident. The Foundation helped disadvantaged parents overcome addiction and domestic violence problems. Her workshop, Courage is Contagious, has been presented around the country, and she has been a featured speaker at the Million Mom March in San Diego and Washington, DC.

Thad Camlin initially learned about Practical Recovery while working as Dr. Horvath’s teaching assistant and joined PR as a clinical intern in June of 2014.

Mr. Camlin started his career as a mental health worker at a locked psychiatric facility. Since then, he has interned at a crisis house, an inpatient substance use and eating disorder facility, and a behavioral health hospital.

Mr. Camlin completed undergraduate work at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He is currently in his final year of graduate work at the California School of Professional Psychology, where he is completing his studies for a doctorate degree in clinical psychology. He is currently writing his doctoral dissertation on Ibogaine’s Role in Treating Opioid-Use Disorders.

Mr. Camlin believes the most important aspect of being a psychologist is having the ability to connect with others in a meaningful way.

With each encounter, he seeks to understand and empathize with a client’s unique situation and experience in a way that conveys interest in a non-judgmental way.

Practical Recovery is important to clients and Mr. Camlin because it offers a self-empowering approach to helping individuals accomplish their goals rather than telling people what to do.

In his spare time Mr. Camlin enjoys hiking, mountain biking, camping, music, film, road-trips and dogs. Career goals include helping to expand the range of treatment offered for substance use and promoting an understanding of substance use as an adaptive response to a trauma rather than an inherent defect.

Ms. Gobar is well grounded in several Meditation Methods or Mind Training Services as she prefers to call it. She has experience in both Business and Personal Training while working nationally and internationally. In sessions, Rachel uses your belief system to address issues and meet your individual needs. She designs a specific individual-based program for you or your company. Rachel’s Mind Training programs are useful for the novice and for the advanced. Clients will notice results within one to three sessions.

Ms. Gobar believes there is no one way to approach a problem. Instead, she uses the organization or the person’s belief system and culture to help incorporate a lasting solution. She is a firm believer in practicing what she teaches.

Solluna is a Master Holistic Health Practitioner, Herbalist, Minister, Teacher, Empathic Personal Insight Counselor, and Reiki Master. She is specializing in the diminishing and elimination of pain and all its derivatives: physical and mental.

Her education and experiences, in the U.S.A. and abroad, focuses on gaining greater knowledge of the benefits of Massage Therapy and improve her techniques. She has a BA in Biology (USD); Koroyo Hand Therapy, Medical Massage, and Reiki Master Certifications, professional member of American Massage Therapy Association and National Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork, and a member of Pyrysys Psychology Group, AToN Center, and Radiance Yoga.

She continues to develop and refine her abilities and Self. For example, she is currently conducting research about fatigue and posture; also, available for workshops, seminars and lecturing. She delights in sharing her scientific and artistic knowledge. Her experiences include providing therapeutic massage and counseling therapies for forty year.

A student of Master Yogi Bhajan, Nirvair has been trained in the Healing Arts, Yogic and Tantric traditions since 1977. He does intuitive energetic healing, and Kundalini Yoga and Meditation. These techniques are used to identify and release limiting patterns, beliefs, and emotional blocks to create more freedom, understanding and choice.

Support Staff

Reunion San Diego

Ms. Dias comes to Practical Recovery from Brazil with a background in nursing. Her passion for cooking comes from a childhood spend in her parents’ many restaurants where she learned the family trade.
Ms. Dias spent 9 years in Japan working for Bentoya before coming to San Diego 5 years ago. She believes Practical Recovery is a great place to work and loves her job as a kitchen assistant where she learns a great deal.